Health Profile of Etowah County, Alabama
Etowah County Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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C
Etowah County Below averageLess healthy than 76% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Etowah County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 72.5 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 11.4% | 9.2% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 23.6% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Etowah County is 72.5 years, about 2.2 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7 years. The uninsured rate is 11.4%, higher than the Alabama average of 9.2%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 23.6% of residents, higher than the Alabama average of 23.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
40,105 residents in Etowah County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 1,841 565 men · 1,276 women
- 75–84 6,072 2,518 men · 3,554 women
- 65–74 11,366 5,330 men · 6,036 women
- 50–64 20,827 9,974 men · 10,853 women
Younger residents
21,271 residents in Etowah County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 6,550 3,390 boys · 3,160 girls
- 7–12 6,209 3,232 boys · 2,977 girls
- 3–7 4,857 2,472 boys · 2,385 girls
- 0–3 3,654 1,869 boys · 1,785 girls
About 10,383 residents in Etowah County (10.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 72.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Etowah County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.1% | 14.9% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.8% | 6.7% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.3% | 8.2% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.9% | 41.3% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Etowah County are about the same as in Alabama.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Etowah County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 22.5% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 12.8% | 13.6% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 33.1% | 32.2% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Etowah County are about the same as in Alabama.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 181,472 cigarettes a day, 5.4 million a month, or 66.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 728.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Etowah County is 72.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 19 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Etowah County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.77 | 7.76 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.8 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Etowah County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Etowah County, AL Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Etowah County, AL is typical in size for this group, 103,105 residents against a local median of 94,166, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nothing separates Etowah County, AL sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 12% above the local median at 11.4% against 10.2%. Etowah County, AL has the 4th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etowah County, AL | 103,105 | 72.5 yrs #6/6 | 11.4% #4/6 | 42.9% #6/6 |
| Calhoun County, AL | 116,090 | 73.1 yrs | 10.2% | 38.4% |
| Marshall County, AL | 99,748 | 74.8 yrs | 12.0% | 40.1% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 94,166 | 74.9 yrs | 7.2% | 38.9% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 25,443 | 74.1 yrs | 7.2% | 42.6% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 72,266 | 75.0 yrs | 15.5% | 42.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Etowah County, Alabama has an overall health index grade of C, making it somewhat better than Alabama, and about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Etowah County, Alabama.
Is Etowah County, Alabama a healthy place to live?
Etowah County, Alabama has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Etowah County, Alabama one of the healthiest counties in Alabama?
Etowah County ranks 51st healthiest out of 67 counties in Alabama by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the average lifespan in Etowah County, Alabama?
People in Etowah County, Alabama can expect to live 72.5 years on average, 2.2 years shorter than the Alabama average of 74.7.
How many people lack health insurance in Etowah County, Alabama?
11.4% of residents in Etowah County, Alabama have no health insurance, about 1 in 9 people, 2.2 points above the Alabama rate of 9.2%.
What is the obesity rate in Etowah County, Alabama?
42.9% of adults in Etowah County, Alabama are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 1.6 points above the Alabama rate of 41.3%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Etowah County, Alabama go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 181,472 cigarettes a day, 5.4 million a month, or 66.2 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 2.0 million minutes a day and 728.6 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Etowah County is 72.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.05 lifetimes a day, or 19 lifetimes a year.
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